Method of automobile identification



Sept. 7 1926.

- R. E. SMITH METHOD OF AUTOMOBILE IDENTIFICATION Filed August 8 1925 license tag to a vehicle having the Patented Sept. 7, 1926.

UNITED STATES RAYMOND nnocn SHIT-H,

PATENT OFFICE.

METHOD OF AUTOMOBILE IDENTIFICATION.

Applicationflled August a, 19st. Serial No. 49,000.

This invention relates to improvements in methods of protection for license tags issued by the various State governments and used in connection with motor driven vehicles, whereby such tags, when once attached to a vehicle for which the were originally issued, will be prevente from being removed therefrom and fraudulently placed upon other vehicles without detection.

It is likewise an equally important object of the invention to provide a novel form of device for securing license tags to motor driven vehicles in a manner which will render its removal from a vehicle subsequently to installation or e uipment' of the. same therewith impractica such device having means for securely lockin the clamping nut onto the screw threaded s ank of the device whereb to prevent its removal without visible evi ence and detection thereof. 7

It is furthermore an object of the invention to provide. a device for securing the eads thereof formed sufliciently lar e to allow of the presentation of matter t ereon corresponding to that upon the tag in connection with which it was originally issued, hence, preventingv of successful removal thereof from the tag for use. e upon another.

Other ob]ects of t e invention will be in part obviops, and in part pointed out hereinafter. v 1

In order that the invention and its mode of use maybereadily understood by persons skilled in the art, I have in the accompany ing illustrative drawin and'in the detailed following description ased thereupon, set out one embodiment of the same.

In these drawings Figure 1 is a top elevation of a license tag equipped with the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical transverse I section through the same; v v

Fi .ure- 3 is a detail, partly in section, Sl'lOWlIlg' themanner in which the locking nut is secured to the screw threaded shank of the device; Figure 4 is a dissembled view, artly in section, showing the clamping bot of the device and the clamping or looking nut therefor;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary transverse section through the locking nut, taken 'on the l ne 55 of Figure 3, looking in the direct1on in which the arrows point; and,

F gure 6 is a detail in perspective of the locking pawl employed in connection with the looking or clamping nut. 7

Having more particular reference 'to the drawmgs, in connection with which like characters of reference will designate corresponding parts throughout, the invention may be stated to reside in the method of issuing and equipment of automobile license tags with means for permanently attaching the same to that vehicle for which they were originally issued, such-means. being of a construction whereby to prevent their fraudulent removal from the originally supplied vehicle and replacement u 11 another unauthorized vehicle, without etection. To this end, the invention maybe stated to comprise a bolt indicated herein by the numeral 1, of which a numbermay be employed for securmg the usual motor driven license tag 2 to a ve icle, although, in this particular embodiment, it will'be noted that but two of such bolts or devices are illustrated. These bolts, as indicated herein by the numeral 1, are provided with enlarged heads, shown. to be of circular configuration herein, indicated by the numeral 3, having-numbers 4 stamped or otherwise permanently presented upon the outer face thereof, as Is clearly shown in the Figure 1, said numbers 4 corresponding to the numbers 5 upon the tag 2 in connection with which the bolts or devices 1 were originally issued.- Thus, it will be understood that because of the corresponding number's appearing u on the .tag 2 and. the outer faces of the en arged heads 3 of the bolts 1, substitution of said bolts upon license tags bearing other numbers or issued by other State vented. 4 v

In order that the devices or bolts 1 may be permanently secured to a motor driven vehicle and that the same will-be prevented from being removed therefrom without visible mutilation and subse uent detection, each of such bolts are provi ed with looking or clamping nuts designated by the humeral 6, having transverselydisposed internally screw threaded openings in one side thereof governments. will be pre- 1 communicating with the screwthreaded bolt I threads of the op'eningin the nut '6'and to'b'e positioned with' respectto' s'aid nut, as "is shown in the Pi 'inner end' of the holder will be directed ad jacent the internal screw threaded bolt re ceivin 'oening. o'f-said' nut whilethe outer end'o c same will be with the correspondingside of thenut expansible coiled sprin 8 is received within the shell like-holder andhas one end 7 thereof bearing upon-theouter' wall of s'aid bearing upon a. 100

i I also providedwith adiametrica guide P adapted to be 'slidably 'receir ed in d1ametri-- holder, while the o posite end thereof has I pawl 9 formedwith-a bit or bevelled inner end 10, saidl'pawl bein' in 11; the extremities of; which are cally'arranged longitudinall disposed guide grooves ll' formed within t e o posite sides of the inner face of the shell like holder 7 aforesaid] To prevent longitudinal dis- I. "as

-" portion of the pawl 9 in enga ing therewith,

I "placement of the pawl 9 with respect. to its older 7, theopen inner end of such shell- -.cated-by the numeral 12, the size of the I fiwning being such as to prevent passage of exposed or extended portion of the diametrically Thus, it w'il he understood that inward sliding'movement' of thelocking pawl 9 with 1 res ect to the nut 6, as well as the holder 7' wil be'positively limited. In order that looking connection as be-' tween the nut 6 and the screw threaded" shank'of the bolt 1 may beestablishedat a predetermined period with turning of the nut 6 onto the latter, such screwthreaded shankof. the bolt is formed with a circumferentially extending way or channel. 9, one

side of the channel being bevelled, as is clearly shown in the Figure 4, corresp'onding to the bevelling of'thehit portion of the locki'n pawl 9, while the o posite or outer side 0 said ch'annel'is of su stantially-right an lar or more acute angular formation in or or that the corresponding extremity or as with reverse rotation of t e nut 6upon the bolt 1', will :be prevented from riding or passing thereover, as is the case whenlthe evel portion 10 of the pawl 9 engages with the bevel side, or portion of the channel 9' 'during inward turning movement of the nut 6 onto the bolt 1, during which movement,

'- the pawl 9 will be permitted to ride over the bevel portion inwardly of the. holder 7 against the tension of the expans'ible coiled spring 8. Hence, it will be understood that while inward turning movement of the nut 6 "comprising a sleeve, circular in res 3.and4, whereat-the n stated to be. as. ro11ows:--. 4 The license tag securing devices are assemhushly arranged] y dispose tive position, hence, of such nut 6 onto t like holder ispreferably.constricted, as indiever, the nut 6 has been turned onto the bolt sitioned pin 11 the'rethrough] the 100 ontolthe screw threaded shank portion of the bolt 1 will be permitted, reverse rotary movementof said nut' 6 in a manner such as to effect its complete removal from the screw threaded shank, subsequently to engagement of the bit portion of the locking pawl 9'in the circumferentially disposed-,channel 9' will beprevented.

The mode of use of the-invention may be such holders will lie flushly with the corre- 5 onding sides of their equipped nuts. In 7 "'t is position, the coiled spring 8 bear-in upon the locking pawl 9 within the holder will-normally retain such pawl in a yieldably extended position, as is clearly shown the Figure 4.- When, however, the e nipped nut 6is engaged with thefree end 0 the screw threaded shank portion of the bolt 1 andturned thereonto, said locking pawl 9'will be forced outwardly against the tension of the coiled spring 8 to an inoperapermitting free turning e bolt 1. When, how- 1' for a 'di'stance suflicient to align the bit portion 10 of the pawl 9 with the circumferentially disposed channel or way 9, the

the Figure3, the bit portion of the pawl thus entering thefichann'el 9' and by reason of its bevelled formation, will revent the nut from being reverselyrotate in a directhis connection, however, it will be noted that the nut 66 may be freely turned inwardly onto the bolt .1 inasmuch as the disposition 01Ev the 'bevelling upon the bit portion i the locking pawl '9 is such as will allowthe same to freely ride over the inonto the adjacent screw threads. However, as stated above, reverse rotation of the nut 6 beingi'lgausedithe bevel bit portion 100i g pawl 9 will reenter the circumferentially disposed channel 9"=- upon the shank the ri t an 'lar formation of the outer wall of said 0 annel, together with the cor responding'formation'of the ad'acent portion of the locking pawl 9, sai pawl will serve as a positive and effectual means for preventing continued reverse rotation to nortion of the bolt 1 and because of v tion to remove the same'from the bolt- 1. In;

'clined or bevelled' portion of the channel '9 such an extent ,as to permit of the removal of the nut 6 from the bolt. In this connection, it is to be noted that by reason of the pin 11 in the longitudinally disposed guide grooves 11 within the shell 7, rotation of said locking pawl "9 within the shell or holder 7 will be'prevented and consequent thereupon, thebevelled bit portion of such locking pawl will be at. all times positioned as is shown in the Figures 3 and 4,

' whereby the same will be; permitted to ride over the bevelled portion of the circumferentiallyvdisposed channel 9' .with inward movement of the'nut 6 over the'bolt 1, but

with reverse rotation of the nut in a manner to move the same outwardly upon the bolt 1, will engage with the right angularly' formed outer wall portion-of said channel 9 and prevent of removal of the-nut 6 from such bolt without visibly mutilatingc. the

same-to such an extent as to render 'subse quent detection thereof possible.

From the foregoin it will be understood that I have provide a novel andpractic'al method for attaching or securing the license tags of" motor driven vehicles to those vehicles-tor which theyfwere originally issued in a manner to positively prevent of removal ofrthe tags from such orlgmalv vehicle without visibly mutilating or damaging the same to such an extent as to render subsequent detection thereof readily pos-f sible. By permanently presenting the mat 'ter 4 upon the outer face of the bolt head 3, such matter corresponding to the matter presented upon the tag in connection with which the bolt was originally issued, it will i be understood that removal of the bolt from the original tag for substitution upon other tags, in a fraudulent manner, without demo-- tion will be prevented, since in such everiti the matter uponthe substituted tag wounot correspond with the matter u on the bolt heads and thereby, could be readlly detected,

Furthermore, as stated hereinbefore, because of the novel manner in which the looking or clamping nuts 6 are ermanently connected to the screwthrea' ed shanks of the bolts 1, it will be'appreciated that when tags equipped with these devices are once secured to a motor driven vehicle, their removal from such vehicle without doing visible damage to either the tag or the securing devices will be positively prevented. Thus,

the theft of motor driven vehicle license tags from equipped vehicles and their sue-- cessful replacement upon other vehicles will. beprevented, and likewise, the fraudulent said bolts havin .tably mounte adapted to. be en aged to be attached to .a receiving object, bolts passing through said first object and through adjacent portions of receiving objects, matter presented upon the outer faces 0 the heads thereof corresponding to matter presented upon the first -obje;ct,.nuts engaged with the screw threaded shanks of said bolts, the scre'r shanks of such bolts having c amferen tially extended channels formed rein, the inner'sides of which bevei and. the

outer'sides of which are righ formed, and spring pressed'tran posed'locking awls siidably er (i in 01" n 2. Afdevice' o the comprising in combine be attached and a recei through adjacent portions of the receivin object, the shank portions ofeach of sad bolts, having circumterentially extended channels formed therein, certain of the comprising in combination with an object threaded I so j sides of which are bevelled and .theopposite sides of which are of ii ht an llar formation, nuts engageable with "eac of said screw threaded shanks, sprin pressed D 5 transversely slidable 'pawls mounte ln each of said nuts, means on the awls engageable with adjacent portions 0 their respective nuts for preventing rotation of the same with respect to saidnuts, the inner end of each of said pawls bein bevelled corresponding to the bevelling of said walls of the channels and adapted, at times, to have binding engagement upon the right angularly formed walls ofIsaid channels.

3. device of the character described comprising in combination with an object to be attached and a receiving ob'ect there-. for, bolts passin through sald rst object and through ad acent portions of the re-- ceiving ob ect,each of said bolts having a circumferentially' extended channel Tormed thereabout, one side wall ofwhich is bevelled and the op osite side wall thereof being of right 'angu ar formation, a nut adapted to be engaged I) the screw threaded shank of each of said olts, said nut having a transverse opening formed-therein communicating with the screw threaded-shank receiving op ning of the same,-a shell-like holder ad: ,ced to be turned into engagement with said" first mentioned internally outer end thereof fiushly arranged with the corresponding side of said nut, the inner sidewalls of said holder having diametrically opposed longitudinally extending guide receiving grooves formed therein, a pawl slidably received within said holder,'a vpin passed diametricall through said pawl hav ing its opposite on s engaged in said longia V screw threaded opening in the nut and to have the 35 bolts passing-through said first object and tudinally disposed grooves, the inner end of said pawl being bevelled to correspond to the bevelling of said side wall of the circumferentially disposed channel and one '8 portion of the pawl being adapted to have binding engagement, at times, with the right angularly formed wall of such channel, and

the inner open end of the shell being can stricted to such an extent as to prevent the passage of the extended end of the diametri- 10 cally disposed pin therethrough. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

RAYMOND ENOCH SMITH. 

